As COVID-19 changes the way people work, resiliency has become all the more important, and Aon’s Kelly MacDonald, a speaker at the upcoming Women in Insurance Canada event, believes now, more than ever, people need to hear about resiliency, and the challenges people are facing.
“It’s interesting, I was having a conversation with our head of HR the other day, and I said so many folks are languishing, and the ability to lead and to show and to teach people to be resilient I think has never been more important and more critical than it is right now,” said Aon’s vice-president and regional sales director.
She noted the insurance industry is going through challenges, as it goes through a market cycle never seen before by those currently in the business.
“We have families dealing with personal tragedy as folks are getting sick and maybe not recovering, we have the challenges of kids schooling from home in many parts of the country, we may have spouses or family members that may be out of work or have lost their job,” said MacDonald. “So, I think now, more than ever, talking about the power of resiliency and connecting has never been more important.”
When people hear from others in their industry, city, or country about how they are striving to be resilient, she said, it can be powerful, and can help others to feel like they’re not alone, which is why she is taking part in a panel on resiliency at the 2021 Women in Insurance Canada event.
“For me, this just is a culmination of all of the stuff that is going on over the past 14 months, and to be able to talk about the resiliency that we’ve all shown and continue to show, it’s a very powerful topic to cover,” she said.
The ability to remain resilient is incredibly important during unprecedented times such as these – but for those who don’t have a positive outlook, or someone in their life they can turn to, MacDonald said they will struggle to find their own resiliency.
“You see people spiral – people that have not found a way to be resilient, or people that have not found a way to deal with some of the stressors that we’re going through, making it really important to look within ourselves about how we can be resilient in our own lives, but also how we can look externally and see who might be struggling, and help them find their lightness and their way forward,” she said.
A lot of the time, that means finding forums where one can be honest and candid about what they’re feeling, she said, and if they can share stories on how they got through a challenging time, it can be of benefit to many people.
She also noted people have needed a boost at different times, as some people struggled early on in the pandemic, while others are becoming burned out as the pandemic continues to drag on.
“I think it’s unprecedented times, and what we’re going through isn’t linear either,” she said. “If we look at governments around the world and the different decisions these countries have made … everybody has done something slightly different because there is no path that we can follow – we’re figuring this out in the moment.”
MacDonald herself said she has had to become more resilient as well, noting it all began with her focusing on how she connects with the people around her – both virtually and physically.
“We’re on video calls, which is great, and I get to see people’s faces. But what that doesn’t do once the camera is off, I don’t then see if those people’s shoulders are slumped over, if they’re sort of walking towards the water cooler or the elevator with their head hanging down,” she explained.
This means she has had to be more mindful of how she is interacting with her colleagues just to make sure she isn’t missing some hint of their burnout or their mental struggle.
“It was so much easier to tell when somebody was having a bad day, bad week, or what have you, when you’re in the office and interacting,” she said, adding it is also important to take time for self-care, and allowing one’s self to take time to enjoy the things you like while also setting boundaries in terms of their work-life balance.
Ultimately, MacDonald acknowledges the importance of resiliency, and she hopes her participation in a panel at the Women in Insurance Canada event can help to enlighten those struggling.
To hear more from Kelly MacDonald, join her at Canada’s celebrated insurance event that supports gender diversity – and has embraced technology by switching to a virtual platform – by registering here.
